This invention relates generally to a game board or playfield for the game of shuffleboard and, more particularly, to a shuffleboard playfield or game board wherein the playfield is cut in half for ease of mobility and includes cooperating brackets located at the joinder intersection of the two halves of the playfield for easy assembly and a leveling mechanism for leveling the playfield at the point of joinder.
The shuffleboard game employs disks or pucks which are slidably propelled on a floor surface, game board or playfield from one end of the playfield to the other. The playfield is typically made of wood and incorporated into a heavy table like structure of considerable length with a relatively massive perimeter frame to accommodate the playing disks sliding off of the playfield anywhere along its length. The disks are propelled by a player in a sliding motion on the flat playing surface to impart a desired momentum to the disk so as to score points based upon the proximity of the disk trajectory terminus to a target location. Because of the sliding motion of the game, a flat level playfield throughout its entire length is imperative both to scoring points and to give full credit to the skill of the players.
Despite their basic appeal, shuffleboard games have generally been manufactured for commercial use in commercial establishments and as such, they are heavy in weight, relatively long in length, cumbersome to move, and generally immovable once positioned in a particular location. As a result, shuffleboard games are not widely used in non-commercial locations such as residential homes, senior citizen centers, church activity centers, office locations and similar locations due to space availability. While conventional shuffleboards are suitable for the purposes just described, the length of the playfield or game board is generally too long to be carried through narrow passageways, around corners, and up and down stairs and, as such, restricts the installation process such as in basements and upper floor locations.
The playfield or playing surface of a shuffleboard game is also impacted or affected by changes in humidity which can causes the wooden playfield to warp thereby making the playing surface upon which the disks or pucks slide uneven or not level. This means that the disks will not slide or travel true to form and will impact the play of the game. To counteract this warping problem, various types of leveling mechanisms have been proposed and are known in the art. This leveling problem is even more critical if the playing surface or playfield is cut in half as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,717 issued to Anguella discloses a miniature and portable shuffleboard game which comprises two sections capable of being quickly assembled to form a miniature shuffleboard table which can be easily assembled and disassembled for play, storage and for easy transportation. Corresponding attachment means are associated with each of the table sections for aligning and connecting the sections together in the assembled position. Pivotal legs are likewise associated with each table section for supporting each section in the assembled position. A pair of threaded members extend downwardly from one end of one of the table sections and are cooperatively received into corresponding holes associated with the other table section and are utilized in connecting the two sections together. Overlapping extension portions associated with each table section accounts for the aligning of the top surface of the two sections when joined together. No additional leveling mechanism is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,620 issued to Cusano discloses a shuffled board table having a leveling mechanism which includes a pair of brackets fixedly secured by screws to the board adjacent the outer portions thereof and a third bracket positioned centrally therebetween. A rigid beam is secured to the end brackets and a bolt extends through a central opening in the beam for mating with the third centrally located bracket. Movement of a pair of nuts associated with a bolt which mates with the central bracket allows the center portion of the table to be moved up or down to adjust for warping of the table at its center due to humidity or other atmospheric conditions. This adjustment mechanism only corrects for warping of a one-piece playing surface at the center of the table as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and does not function to level two half sections of a playing surface at or adjacent to the point of joinder where the half sections are connected together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,681 issued to Tudek discloses a ball game table vaguely similar to shuffleboard wherein the playing surface is completely covered with a fabric such as grass carpeting along its longitudinal dimension. More particularly, the playing board is cut in half and a nut, bolt and washer assembly is used for securing two cross members together thereby resulting in joining the two halves of the game board. It further discloses the use of adjustment levelers which are screwed into cross members at a plurality of locations along the length of the game board. These cross member levelers are described as being a short piece of round pipe filled with cement after an all-threaded hexagon head bolt is centered and extended within the pipe to be hand screwed into the cross members at weight bearing points to level the table. None of the adjustment levelers are positioned at or adjacent to the joint intersection where the two halves of the board are connected together. In addition, these adjustment levelers do not adjust the height level of the carpet which is layered on the top surface of the game board playing surface.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved standard full length shuffleboard playfield wherein the shuffleboard playfield is cut in half and includes two elongated planar members which can be easily assembled on location and adjusted at the point of joinder to yield a level flat playing surface at the joinder point.
Specific advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.